Hundreds of people wait to be registered

as immigration officials and security forces stand by

Those born before 1982 are being checked

to see if they are eligible for Burmese citizenship

In a camp of 3000 people, 700 are being registered in this pilot programme

But in order for a person to gain citizenship

they must be able to prove that they or their parents lived in the country

before independence in 1948

If they have the documents to prove this, they're in with a chance of becoming a naturalized citizen

Though most Rohingya people don't have the necessary papers

Human rights groups have slammed the 1982 law,

for effectively denying the Rohingyas citizenship and rendering them stateless

They're not forcing us - they said it's okay if we don't want to take part

and we can register at our own will

In Maybaung, there are 3 choices of ethnic identification:

Kahman, Bengali, or nothing at all

- making the process awkward for those who identify as Rohingya

What ethincity do most people here identify themselves as?

Mostly Bengali

Over 400 people have been registered so far

Officials here will collect the personal data and send it to Naypyidaw

where a central board will decide who will eligible for citizenship

Critics of the law say the process is baised

and set up to ensure Rohingya won't get citizenship

But the camp residents que up anyway

More out of desperation, than any real hope